KATHMANDU, Jan 22: Nepal, which is currently assuming Chairmanship of the two regional organizations- SAARC and BIMSTEC is all set to host the SAARC Program-Committee meeting and BIMSTEC three levels of meetings in February this year.
According to Madi Prasad Bhattarai, Regional Organization Division Chief under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Program Committee, comprising the Foreign Joint-Secretaries of the SAARC member-nation, would convene at its 53rd regular meeting in Kathmandu on February 1-2.
The Committee's meeting is taking place as part of the calendars of activities of the eight-member regional organization that mandates at least two such meetings of the Committee be held annually.
Similarly, the 17th Joint Working Group meeting of BIMSTEC would be held on February 5 while the 17th high officials meeting of BIMSTEC member nations would take place on February 6.
Likewise, on February 7, the 17th meeting of the Foreign Secretaries of the BIMSTEC member-nations will be held shared Division Chief Bhattarai.
Among the issues figuring in the 53rd SAARC Program-Committee meeting would be the budget management for the operation of the Kathmandu-based SAARC Secretariat.
Furthermore Bhattarai informed that various three levels of BIMSTEC meetings would be focused on reviewing the progress of the programs launched in 14 different socio-economic development sectors prioritized by the BIMSTEC for its seven member-countries lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal.
The three levels of BIMSTEC meeting are scheduled to take place in Kathmandu.
Participation of India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the meeting of the SAARC program committee has been ensured, a source said.
Likewise, officials of India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka will also participate in the BIMSTEC meeting, the source added.
BIMSTEC has prioritized poverty eradication, trade and investment, transport and communications, energy, tourism, technology, agriculture, fish farming, environment and disaster management, public health, expansion of people to people contact among SAARC member countries, control of terrorism and inter-country crime and climate change. RSS
BIMSTEC Meet concludes
